Surviving Heatmaggeddon

The District is hotter than hot. Walking outside this morning, I started sweating before breathing. Although I notoriously complain about being “too cold,” I’ve changed my tune – Help! I’m melting.

In yoga class the other day, our teacher said this heat wave serves as a reminder of the eternal shifting nature of life. We complain about being too hot or too cold – yet it would be better to find peace despite the constant changing of the weather.

I nodded my head in agreement and vowed to change my ways. But then, I walked outside and my sunglasses fogged up. I had no choice but to complain under my breath as I hurried to my air-conditioned car.

But in all seriousness, how does one survive Heatmaggeddon??

Here are a few of my summer survival tips:

1. “Life is short. Drink water from a wine glass.” -Gail

Staying hydrated is a struggle for me, especially because I do yoga and run daily. So, I stole this concept from my good friend, Gail, who served me water from a beautiful wine glass one evening at her house. I love wine but I don’t drink much because of my narcolepsy medication. It may sound silly, but drinking water from a fancy glass is more fun!

2. Chill out with a Simple Smoothie:

I don’t have much of an appetite in this heat (and with my daytime stimulants). It’s been hard to force myself to eat a meal before the sun goes down. This is unhealthy and terrible, but it’s the truth. I usually make up by eating for 10 people in the evening. However, given my current commitment to exercise, I’m exploring the smoothie world.

(You can use fresh or frozen fruit. I’m freezing my fruit in individual sized ziploc bags to make it as easy as possible to throw together quickly. Also, frozen fruit is easy to find in the grocery store.)

And yes, I recommend the wine glass serving option for the smoothie as well, because… why not?

3. Add a Hint of Mint

Mint or menthol products give off a cooling sensation. Currently, I’m obsessed with Lipton’s Bedtime Story Herbal Tea – made with real spearmint leaves and chamomile flavors. Hot tea is counter-intuitive, but I enjoy ending each day with a delicious cup of minty fresh tea. It calms me and gets me ready to surrender to sleep.

Other ideas: add fresh mint to lemonade or use a peppermint body wash in the shower.

I enjoyed this Post, it is funny!!!! I would say that I can't relate to eating for 10 at night, but I'd be lying. On the body temperature scale, I'm traditionally a "too hot" person, so I've worked on strategies for staying cool for awhile. I'll share a recent one – I highly recommend that everyone with a car get a reflective sunshade thingamajig for the front windshield. You just pop that baby on before leaving your car in the sun on a hot day, and when you return to your car it is just Really Hot, as opposed to OMG THIS IS HEATMAGGEDDON I CAN'T STAND IT hot. They seriously work and cost like ten or fifteen bucks at your friendly local auto parts store. The package on the one I bought claims it can cool your car interior by 40 degrees. Never tested it, but it sure feels better. Overheated people of the world, UNITE!!!